The Joy it MUST be to Coach

[the prophet]

Oh, what it must be like to be a coach. Win, win, win, why isn't my son playing, you are an idiot, why did you call that, Johnny should be your Quarterback, Why did you go for two, you should have gone for it. This is a small fraction of what coaches hear on a daily basis, and that is just what has already have happened, I do not even want to think about all of the advice a coach must get on the upcoming games. I watched the OSU, Texas game on Saturday and it struck me odd that BRENT Musberger has no clue about the game of football. As my friend told me that is why he is a play by play guy. He needs to do just that and quit trying to analyze everthing espesially while Gary Danielson is sitting there to give game analysis. As long as Brent has been watching and calling games he is clueless. Probably never played a down. I say this because I hear mamas and daddies all of the time talking about coaches (please forgive them for this) and players who are not their children, like they know their jobs better than the coach,

or even the abilities of another player. Most of the time they do not know the ability of their own kid. I saw a parent after a game this year throwing a fit about her sons playing time, talking about the coaches being idiots, mistreating her son. Well for parents like that, it is great that you care about your children as you should, but please lets leave coaching to coaches. If you want to do some one elses job, why dont you start picking up trash on the side of the highway or something productive. DO you have any clue what telling your son that the coach does not what he is doing sounds like. Well it would be like me telling Betty Crocker how to cook. I can cook but I do not believe that Betty needs me telling her how to fix her dinner. Please think with me on this one, think about your job and how you would feel if everyone thought they could do it better than you, even those with no experience at it. I am a very positive person and why can we as parents and supporters of high school athletes be the same way.

[o21putt]

the prophet,

 

A great post. If only each and every parent would wake up and smell the coffee. A good rule to abide is "I won't tell you how to coach my child and you don't tell me how to raise my child. Of course, the ones that are on the coach about their precious little darlings playing time usually do not have a clue as to how to raise their kids.

Edited September 13, 2005 by papatj

[reddevil44]

Oh, what it must be like to be a coach.  Win, win, win, why isn't my son playing, you are an idiot, why did you call that,  Johnny should be your Quarterback,  Why did you go for two,  you should have gone for it.  This is a small fraction of what coaches hear on a daily basis, and that is just what has already have happened, I do not even want to think about all of the advice a coach must get on the upcoming games.  I watched the OSU, Texas game on Saturday and it struck me odd that BRENT Musberger has no clue about the game of football.  As my friend told me that is why he is a play by play guy.  He needs to do just that and quit trying to analyze everthing espesially while Gary Danielson is sitting there to give game analysis.  As long as Brent has been watching and calling games he is clueless.  Probably never played a down.  I say this because I hear mamas and daddies all of the time talking about coaches (please forgive them for this) and players who are not their children, like they know their jobs better than the coach,

or even the abilities of another player.  Most of the time they do not know the ability of their own kid.  I saw a parent after a game this year throwing a fit about her sons playing time, talking about the coaches being idiots, mistreating her son.  Well for parents like that, it is great that you care about your children as you should, but please lets leave coaching to coaches.  If you want to do some one elses job, why dont you start picking up trash on the side of the highway or something productive.  DO you have any clue what telling your son that the coach does not what he is doing sounds like.  Well it would be like me telling Betty Crocker how to cook.  I can cook but I do not believe that Betty needs me telling her how to fix her dinner.  Please think with me on this one,  think about your job and how you would feel if everyone thought they could do it better than you, even those with no experience at it.  I am a very positive person and why can we as parents and supporters of high school athletes be the same way.

825749096[/snapback]

Great Post!

[OWLSRULE]

Because people get emotional and lose all since of respect, intelligence and judgement. What's even worse is that they usually don't really care either. Being an armchair QB is one of the easiest things in the world. It's easy to stand back and criticize, especially when it has no direct effect on them. Their jobs or career status isn't on the line. Plus, some peolpe are full of envy and spite. They are childish and immature. It takes alot of guts to bash somebody behind their back. These people who do this are all, IMO, gutless weaklings who have no place in society.

[Solomon]

Oh, what it must be like to be a coach.  Win, win, win, why isn't my son playing, you are an idiot, why did you call that,  Johnny should be your Quarterback,  Why did you go for two,  you should have gone for it.  This is a small fraction of what coaches hear on a daily basis, and that is just what has already have happened, I do not even want to think about all of the advice a coach must get on the upcoming games.  I watched the OSU, Texas game on Saturday and it struck me odd that BRENT Musberger has no clue about the game of football.  As my friend told me that is why he is a play by play guy.  He needs to do just that and quit trying to analyze everthing espesially while Gary Danielson is sitting there to give game analysis.  As long as Brent has been watching and calling games he is clueless.  Probably never played a down.  I say this because I hear mamas and daddies all of the time talking about coaches (please forgive them for this) and players who are not their children, like they know their jobs better than the coach,

or even the abilities of another player.  Most of the time they do not know the ability of their own kid.  I saw a parent after a game this year throwing a fit about her sons playing time, talking about the coaches being idiots, mistreating her son.  Well for parents like that, it is great that you care about your children as you should, but please lets leave coaching to coaches.  If you want to do some one elses job, why dont you start picking up trash on the side of the highway or something productive.  DO you have any clue what telling your son that the coach does not what he is doing sounds like.  Well it would be like me telling Betty Crocker how to cook.  I can cook but I do not believe that Betty needs me telling her how to fix her dinner.  Please think with me on this one,  think about your job and how you would feel if everyone thought they could do it better than you, even those with no experience at it.  I am a very positive person and why can we as parents and supporters of high school athletes be the same way.

825749096[/snapback]

 

Somebody get the offerin' plates ready, cause we've got a man with a message to tell!

 

Excellent post. Thes guys are high school coaches who aren't paid nearly enough for the pressure to win place on most of them by the community and mainly parents. They deserve our respect, not our scorn.

 

And what he said goes double for anyone who hides behides a screen name to ridicule a coach or a coaching staff on here.

[the prophet]

Because people get emotional and lose all since of respect, intelligence and judgement. What's even worse is that they usually don't really care either. Being an armchair QB is one of the easiest things in the world. It's easy to stand back and criticize, especially when it has no direct effect on them. Their jobs or career status isn't on the line. Plus, some peolpe are full of envy and spite. They are childish and immature. It takes alot of guts to bash somebody behind their back. These people who do this are all, IMO, gutless weaklings who have no place in society.

825749119[/snapback]

 

could not have said it any better myself, It would have come out like this though,

"Gutless wonders" that is what my high school football coach would have called them. thank you

[daman_daman]

These parents do get out of control, and in certain areas of the state it affects the kids a lot.

 

THIS darn HIPPIE GENERATION RAISES THEIR KIDS TO BE BABIES.

 

Kids are no longer tough anymore. You see it all the time on TV and other stuff, my life just stinks because i was raped, or abused, or daddy didn't love me. I am not saying that is not big time stuff,but...

 

back in the day people had to just get over it and lead normal lives. Now people get stuck in the past and won't move on with their lives, and expect pity and handouts for what happened to them.

 

People raise their kids with this mentality and they cannot take a but chewing like they could just a few years ago. If your kid is screwing around and doing drugs, they should not be on the team. That is a disease that will spread to other teammates and makes it very hard to reach some kids.

 

Coaches now have a hard ob of often being the only father these kids have, and mother. They will stay at theirhouse when their moms in rehab or dad is in jail, and they are not respected for the love they have for the kids.

 

I know that this is a little off topic but coaching is different nowadays and it can be frustrating to deal with parents that are like this.

[Dawgwriter]

There was an article in a major national magazine recently about how parents are now "over-parenting," doing too much for their kids, not letting them fail and dust themselves off, etc.

 

Sending mixed signals about other authority figures in our kids' lives can be very destructive. It used to be when you got a whipping at school, you pretty much got one at home.

 

Are those days gone or what?

[KenHawk]

As a coach, I have never minded a parent coming to me in a respectful manner to ask why their child didn't make the team, or why their child wasn't playing much, or what their child could do to improve. There is nothing wrong with a parent wanting to know that kind of information. BUT.......

I am strongly against player bashing or coach bashing by annonymous individuals...whether it be on coacht, or on talk radio, or whatever media is at hand. Accountability has been completely taken out of the mix, allowing cowards to spew their venom without any reprocussions. These individuuals feel so brave and daring as long as nobody knows who they are. Suggestion for this board: As soon as someone starts to bash a coach or player on coacht, let that person's true identity be revealed to all the readers. I guarantee you the bashing will stop when people can not hide behind a screen name any longer...at least on THIS board.

Ken Hawkins

Maryville High Softball

[Asics42]

Good posts.

 

As a former high school coach, I can tell you those days are gone.

 

There is a major problem with society today and a lot of parents exemplify it.

 

This problem is lack of responsibility or accountability. If someone screws up, they want to blame someone else. If somebody's kid screws up, they want to blame the coach. "It's ok Johnny, you're an all-star. That blasted coach doesn't know what he's doing."

 

This is the mentality that the majority of parents display today. As coaches, though, we know this up front, so we should expect it.

 

In other words, "No use complaining about what we can't fix. Focus on what we can fix."

[the prophet]

yep

[CoachTVA]

I have had this same stuff happen to me more in youth league than in the upper levels. I help out as a QB coach at a high school here, and I coach a youth team. We had our first youth league game this past Saturday. I have a younger player on my team that is having a hard time following instructions at tailback, so I didn't let him run the ball very much. Maybe 3 or 4 times. My strategy has always been the same for early season games. Let the returning players handle most of the offense, until the younger ones pick up on what to do. They do get to play alot on the defensive side though, because it's easier for them to learn it. That child's father sent me the following email yesterday morning. It starts out well, but then it takes a serious turn, as you will see. I'm only posting this because I live in VA, and no one on my team or in my area will see it.

 

Coach,

 

I got your message last night concerning the game on Saturday. First of all congratulations on the victory. I think you and your coaching staff did an outstanding job getting the team together in only a matter of 2 or 3 weeks worth of practice. As far as Branden, I would give him a "C Minus" on his performance. That's not bad for his very first game in his first year of playing organized football. One good thing that I noticed about him is that he has improved everyday we hit the field. He's improving in all aspects of the game including understanding the rules. Im sure he learned a few things from the game on Saturday that he will be better at next time around. We also stuck around to watch the other games on Saturday so he could see his mistakes. On Sunday I took him out to the field and showed him a few things on the defensive side of ball that he needs to get better at. The only constructive criticism I have for you is better ball distribution. The one time he touched the ball was a 7 or 8 yard gain up the middle. That was his one bright spot to build on. But I hope him and others on the offenses side who didnt get a chance, will get more of an opportunity to do something with the ball, thats the only way they are going to learn. Also possibly through in a 37 or 38 where he could use his speed. Once he gets a taste of the endzone, I know it will make him want to continue improving.

 

Once again, outstanding job

 

Terrance

 

Now, what he didn't notice was that his son did not get 7 or 8 yards, he got about 7 or 8 feet, maybe. He didn't run where he was supposed to, and he didn't take off until after my QB ran back and handed him the ball. He also hasn't realized after 3 weeks of practice is that my workhorses in the offense are my fullback and slotback. He thinks his son is the go to guy, and he should have the ball more. After the 4th practice of the season, I asked him (the Dad) if he had been studying the playbook yet, and he replied, "No because he was waiting to see what position he was going to be playing." I can't tell you that until I see how he runs the plays in different positions. The playbook only had 6 plays in it to start with, then we add to it later. The other tailback's Dad, however, emailed and called me telling me that his son was so happy he got the ball a couple of times and was executing his blocks correctly.

 

I haven't had any problems with the high school parents yet, and we have lost both games we've played. It's a brand new school and we are struggling.

Edited September 14, 2005 by stlrcoach